House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is losing the support of conservative congressmen in his budget battle, forcing him to choose between a compromise with Democrats and a government shutdown. Getty

March 17, 2011

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The House grudgingly approved a plan on Tuesday to finance the federal government for another three weeks, but a whopping 54 Republicans broke ranks and voted against the deal. Speaker John Boehner all but conceded afterward that, since he can't count on his caucus' conservative members, he'll have to compromise with Democrats to pass a budget for the full fiscal year and avoid a government shutdown. Will Boehner give up on the big spending cuts the GOP promised the Tea Party set? (Watch a local report about Boehner's concessions)

No, he has to stick with his own team: Democrats want Boehner to think surrender is his only option, says Jonathan Strong at The Daily Caller. But many Republicans have already defected over the temporary spending deals, saying they don't cut enough, and they'll really get mad if Boehner starts ceding ground. If Boehner wants to accomplish what he set out to do, he'll have to unite his own caucus and "take a harder line" with Democrats."Schumer to Boehner: Ditch the Tea Party, join us!"